


A Number of Firsts

by TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Angst, Death, Firsts, M/M, Memories, Platonic Relationship Between Ran And Shinichi, Reincarnation, That Will Hopefully Not Last
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-04-03 20:50:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4114531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie/pseuds/TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Let us meet again in the next life.”</p><p> </p><p>  <em>I love you.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first time _he_ had kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! So I know that I haven't really updated "Fate of An Assassin" lately, due to exams and final projects and stuff, but I will start writing the next chapter when I'm done with all that...this is another one that I started a while back...so enjoy!

He still remembered the first time _he_ had kissed him.

It had been at a heist. Despite figuring out the riddle, he, Hattori and Hakuba had all agreed that KID’s target was not the jewel that will be displayed. Unable to figure out the real target, they had attended the heist with nagging doubts.

The heist started right before noon. Everything had been as usual, the traditional dog pile, the usual inappropriate swearing from Nakamori-keibu and the endless amount of pranking and humiliation from the Moonlight Magician. Though the detectives survived a bit longer than the police, Hakuba and Hattori were soon left behind, covered in pink bubble gum while still arguing over whose fault it was that they got caught in the trap.

He recalled himself breathing raggedly, running up the stairs leading to the rooftop, each step causing a loud clang to resound in the building. The door opened as he rushed onto the open rooftop, watch open and ready to put the annoying thief to sleep. He blinked his eyes against the bright sun, searching for his target.

However, the thief was nowhere in sight. Sighing, he closed the screen on his watch, thinking the thief gone, only to gasp in surprise when arms clothed in white snatched him from the ground, turning him to face the elusive thief, and possessive lips pressed against his own.

The white cape swirled around the two figures pressed close to each other and he’d barely had the chance to react before something warm entered his parted lips, gaining complete control over the unexpected kiss.

His brain barely registered the invasion, too caught up with what exactly had just happened, and could only stare blankly at the thief’s closed eyes. It was only when he needed to breathe that he started struggling and KID released him with a bright smile adorning his face. He placed the gasping not-child back onto the ground, stepping back before he could be kicked south.

And with a simple, “See you, _my_ Tantei-kun!” he was gone, leaving the shocked detective behind on the roof just as a nearby screen announced twelve o’clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...it's kind of short, but that's the whole point. You'll see ;) at least...I hope...
> 
> Next Chapter: First Rose


	2. First Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first white rose _he_ had given him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...the second chapter...

He still remembered the first white rose _he_ had given him.

He had been walking on the streets with the Shounen Tantei group and Haibara when Ran suddenly appeared.

“Conan! Where were you? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

The Shounen Tantei group looked at him strangely when said not-child only stared at the girl wearing a red jacket and white skirt in front of him.

“Conan-kun? What’s wrong?”

He had whipped his head around to face Ayumi and the others, panic spreading across his face briefly, before he laughed nervously.

“Sorry, guys, looks like I have to go for now.”

“But, Conan-kun!”

“You can’t just ditch us like this!”

“Tch! He’s probably leaving us behind to go eat something tasty!”

“Like I said, sorry, but I really need to go now, so see you guys tomorrow! Bye-bye!”

He ran to Ran and turned around to quickly wave goodbye.

“Bye, Conan-kun! See you tomorrow!”

Ran smiled at the children and grabbed his hand, dragging him through the crowd with a pleased look on her face. Or, he should say, _his face_.

“Where are we going?”

“What are you talking about, Conan-kun? Lunch, of course.”

“Drop the act. I know who you are. Besides, Ran arranged another little reunion for her parents; she told me that she’d be with them all day.”

‘Ran’ laughed, “Oh my goodness, Conan-kun, that’s very funny, but it’s really me. I left my parents at the restaurant so that they could have some ‘bonding time’.”

“I’m serious. Drop the act or you’re getting a soccer ball in your face,” he threatened, an annoyed look on his face.

“Tch. You’re no fun, Tantei-kun.”

“What do you want?”

“No questions about last time?” the thief grinned.

He spluttered, a retort dying on his lips. He took a deep breath before replying.

“None.”

The thief sighed, “I just wanted to give you something.”

A white rose suddenly popped into his hand and he could only stare at it in confusion.

He could still feel the soft, pure, white petals on the beautiful rose, still smell the lingering fragrance, still see the thief’s expectant face when he had looked up.

“Huh…?”

“For you, Tantei-kun. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Ah…thank you. It’s beautiful.”

He was able to glimpse the smile – not a smirk, a real smile – adorn the thief’s face right before the nearby clock tower rang one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See any patterns? Anyways, comments, criticisms, are all welcome :)
> 
> Next Chapter: First Confession


	3. First Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first _he_ had confessed to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo...the third chapter....hope you enjoy!  
> Comments, criticisms, suggestions are much desired ;)

He still remembered the first _he_ had confessed to him.

When he had entered the classroom that morning with the Shounen Tantei and Haibara, he had been more than surprised to see the bouquet of white roses on his desk. The card placed beside the fragrant flowers wrapped in shades of blue and violet had a message written in English to which all the other children tried to crowd around the bespectacled boy to get a good look at.

“Conan-kun, Conan-kun, who is it from?”

The young girl beside him looked extremely disgruntled that her potential love interest had received such a lovely bouquet that wasn’t even from her.

“Never mind that, Ayumi-chan, we should figure out what is on the note. This could potentially be another case for the Shounen Tantei!” Mitsuhiko, ever the serious child, insisted, flinching when Ayumi directed a harsh glare at him.

“ _Let us meet in your world where dreams dance with reality, when my Lady is free from the clutches of knowledge. An early White Day gift for my favourite Tantei-kun._ ”

The Shounen Tantei looked at Conan in confusion when his lips uttered the foreign words perfectly without an ounce of hesitation.

“What in the world does that mean?” Genta asked with wide eyes.

Surprisingly, it was Haibara who answered.

“That is for Edogawa-kun himself to figure out. We are not needed for this so I do not want to see anyone sticking their noses in things best left alone, understood?”

“Yes, Ai-chan,” the three children nodded sheepishly and Conan sent Haibara a grateful look.

However, the girl whispered in his ear right before class started, leaving the not-child blushing several shades of red.

“ _I want all the juicy details, Edogawa-kun._ ”

The woman truly was the incarnate of the Devil.

O_^ DCMK

The bespectacled boy curled up in the over-sized armchair, his favourite book “ _The Sign of Four_ ” in his hands as his mind faintly registered the ticking of the cuckoo clock his mother had bought a few years back.

It was the weekend, when he was “…free from the clutches of knowledge” and in his library, the “…world where dreams meet reality”. Just a simple riddle paired with a beautiful gift, yet as soon as he had reached home the day before, he had told Ran that he would be staying with Agasa-hakase over the weekend. Haibara had smirked when he had asked her and the hakase to cover for him.

It was already near two in the afternoon when he heard the first knock at the window. Slowly placing his book on the dark brown coffee table beside the armchair and taking a leisurely sip from the eighth cup of coffee he had prepared that day, he finally walked towards the window near the back of the library. It was a small corner, away from the emptiness that he sometimes felt in the large library, and he often took refuge on the wide window seat that had been installed when his parents had realized how often he frequented the place.

His small hands gripped the heavy red curtain to pull it aside, revealing the thief clad in white, desperately holding onto the edge of the window, using his one free hand to furiously knock on the window.

Conan had a sudden thought, a devilish smirk appearing on his face.

“Oh my,” he began with a carefree voice, knowing full well that the thief could hear every word, “who do we have here? A thief? Now, I really shouldn’t let a thief into my house, right? It might be dangerous!”

KID’s eyes widened comically and he pointed at the window urgently, sending the detective many complicated gestures with the one hand.

The not-child chuckled at the thief’s antics.

“Hm…I wonder what it would be like if I left you there for a few more minutes?” he said sweetly, his smile so innocent, but his eyes were full of mischief. He waited for a few more seconds before taking pity on the thief and slid the window open.

“Oh my God,” the magician gasped out as soon as he was able to get in and sit on the floor, leaning against the ledge of the window, “I swear … you … are … the … most … sadistic … person … I’ve … ever … met … other … than … that … witch!”

Conan raised an eyebrow perfectly, staring at the thief in front of him.

“Oh? So now you’re calling me sadistic? Maybe I shouldn’t have let you in after all.”

“Tantei-kun,” the thief whined, “does seeing me suffer really pleasure you that much?” then continuing with a glint in his eyes and his usual infuriating smirk, “Or maybe I should tie myself up for you?”

“Tie yourself up? Why would a thief do that? That’s just stupid,” the detective scoffed and turned away to walk back to the armchair.

“Still as clueless and thick-headed as ever, I see,” the thief muttered and sighed as he got up to follow.

O_^ DCMK

Conan cupped his newly made cup of hot coffee within his hands as he snuggled into the pillows he had added to the armchair. KID sat across from him, watching with an amused expression at the detective who currently had a look of heavenly bliss on his face while nursing his coffee.

“So?”

The thief was pulled out of his musings by the quiet but commanding voice.

“Yes?”

“Well? What did you call me here for? I suppose I should thank you for getting me away from Sonoko, Ran and the Shounen Tantei since it’s White Day, but frankly, I’m also quite unenthusiastic for whatever you have planned.”

KID laughed, “Don’t worry, Tantei-kun. What I have planned will be nothing like what they would do. Have some faith in me. I only wish to tell you one thing today. You don’t need to answer me right away, and you may never will, but just know that I’ll always be waiting.” The thief suddenly kneeled on one leg in front of him, a serious look on his face.

Conan’s eyes could only widen at the thief’s next words.

“I love you, Kudo Shinichi, Edogawa Conan, whoever you think you are, but I don’t care, because I love you for who you are.”

The cuckoo clock rang two in the background, piercing the silence of the afternoon as a beautiful, pure white rose was offered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: First Outing


	4. First Outing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first outing _he_ had taken him on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe how lazy I've become now that it gets unbearably hot over here...and I really should start finishing the next chapter for "Fate of an Assassin", but somehow, I ended up writing "A Number of Firsts" again...so you'll be getting three chapters today...although I'm not so sure about the quality...but same old, feel free to comment and tell me of any mistakes or just other stuff :)
> 
> As for all the 'her' stuff (you'll get what I mean when you read on), I understand if you get really annoyed seeing it over and over, but I didn't want to just rewrite his gender just because he is cross-dressing (to make Ayumi jealous, but let's not tell him we know, alright ;) ?).

He still remembered the first outing _he_ had taken him on.

He had been more than surprised when a stranger suddenly knocked on the hakase’s door at half past seven in the morning during the Shounen Tantei’s weekend sleepover at the poor man’s house. Needless to say, he hadn’t had his morning coffee yet, nor had he slept enough after a rather late night due to _certain_ noisy children, so when he saw a teenage girl with long black hair and bright green eyes wearing a short summer dress even though it was still April, his reaction was rather slow. He cocked his head to one side, blinking his eyes sleepily, rubbing them a bit as he had forgotten to wear his glasses and looked up again at the pretty girl with half-lidded eyes.

“Do I know you?” he murmured with a questioning look.

“You…,” the girl started, dipping her head down so that her bangs covered her eyes.

Conan cocked his head to the other side, still blinking sleepily at the girl.

“You are SO cute!”

His eyes flew wide open when the girl suddenly tackled him to the floor, then proceeded to hug him as tightly as possible and rub her face against his hair.

“I cannot believe you can be this cute, Shin-chan,” the girl cooed happily, “I really should have recorded that.”

“Conan-kun…?” another sleepy voice sounded in the room as Ayumi entered, rubbing her eyes, only to freeze in place when she saw the other female who was currently _embracing her Conan-kun_.

“You!” she pointed an accusing finger at the girl, “Who in the world are you, and why are you holding Conan-kun so close!?”

The girl glanced at her, a sudden predatory look in her eyes, “Ah, you must be Ayumi-chan. It’s nice to meet you, my name is Yukina and I’m a very _special_ friend of Conan-kun. I hope we get along,” she smiled, and even Ayumi could tell that it was forced.

The younger girl bristled with annoyance, stepping up to the obvious challenge that had been sent her way.

“My name is Yoshida Ayumi, also a very _special_ friend of Conan-kun. It’s my _pleasure_ to meet a good friend of his,” she replied coolly, her eyes sparking with unhidden jealousy.

“Is that so? I would like to say so otherwise, but if you don’t mind, could you please tell the hakase and the little ojou-chan that I’ll be borrowing Conan-kun for today? Thanks, bye-bye,” the other smirked, looking down on the younger girl, then scooped up the still sleepy not-child into her arms, walked out of the house and slammed the door behind her.

“Huh…? W-wait! What do you think you’re—?” Ayumi rushed to the door, flung it open, only to find that there was no one there. Confused, she walked to the gates and took a look at both sides of the street, only to find emptiness and complete silence.

Shaking her head, she quickly ran back into the house to wake up the others.

O_^ DCMK

When Conan finally took notice of his surroundings, it was already near noon. He looked down at the new dark blue jacket he was wearing with white shorts and felt his face for his missing glasses.

“What the…?”

“You awake, Conan-kun?”

He looked up to his side, where the pretty girl he faintly recalled seeing this morning sat next to him. His eyes widened with recognition.

“You are—!”

A finger was pressed to his lips as the girl smiled sweetly at him.

“Not aloud Tantei-kun.”

“Why am I here? No, wait a minute, how did I even get here? And I don’t recall changing clothes.”

“What would you like to drink, Conan-kun?"

Conan’s eyes narrowed.

“Coffee.”

“Hot or cold?”

“Hot.”

“What would you like to eat?”

“I don’t really care. Whatever’s there is fine.”

“You need to eat, Tantei-kun, I can’t have you starving to death.”

“Fine,” the other growled, eye twitching with slight annoyance, “I want one of those sandwiches, a salad and a slice of cake, lemon-flavoured.”

“I’ll order it for you right now, so just stay settled there for a second.”

Conan sighed, tapping his fingers impatiently as he waited for KID to finish ordering.

"I would like a hot coffee, a hot chocolate, a roasted chicken sandwich, a green papaya salad, a lemon-flavoured cheesecake, one chocolate cake small-size and another lemon cheesecake medium-size for to-go."

"Coming right up. Is that all?"

"Yes, thank you."

The detective waited until the waitress was gone before repeating his question.

"So, care to explain why I'm here?"

The thief giggled — _giggled_ — and dared to _wink_ at him.

"Can't I take my favourite Tantei-kun out for some fun?"

"What fun?"

"Let me see," the thief hummed happily, " we're eating brunch here, then we're going to go see a movie and finally, we're going to have an absolutely romantic afternoon in the park."

"Ah, an outing then," the not-child commented off-handedly as he started adding some cream and sugar to the coffee the waitress had brought with KID's hot chocolate.

The other stared at him in silence.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"Just an _outing_?"

"Yes. Is there something wrong with my choice of wording?"

"Yes! How can this just be an _outing_? This is a...a..."

"A what, exactly?" the detective raised an eyebrow at the thief, calmly drinking his coffee.

"N-nothing...," the 'girl' blushed, averting 'her' eyes from the piercing cerulean blue eyes, an obvious pout on 'her' face.

Another waiter brought their orders of the sandwich, salad, lemon cheesecake and chocolate cake.

Immediately, the thief started digging into 'her' chocolate cake, completely disregarding the detective's amused look at 'her' table manners. Allowing a slight smile to slip on his face, the not-child began to eat his sandwich, taking a neat bit every time and careful not to sprinkle too many crumbs on the table, unlike a _certain_ cross-dressing thief.

He was halfway through his salad when the thief let out a happy sigh and patted 'her' stomach.

"Chocolate will always be the best."

"I'm surprised you were able to eat so much," the detective remarked lightly, "with such a...feminine physique."

"What can I say," the thief laughed, "I have a _very_ high metabolism."

"Yes, often _too_ high," the not-child muttered with a roll of his eyes.

At least the thief had bought him a whole lemon cheesecake to indulge in later.

O_^ DCMK

The thief then took him to see a mystery romance set in an alternate universe, laughing every so often at the detective's criticism of the movie.

"What kind of person is stupid enough to accept a drink from a _stranger_ when they are under suspicion of being assassinated?"

"That woman is an idiot. How can she not see that her so-called 'husband' is cheating on her?"

"No, you just don't file for a divorce when you find out your husband's got another woman. You stay married so you can piss her off!"

"Did I just see an airplane? I though they clearly stated in the beginning that technology such as airplanes did not exist in this universe."

"Oh really. She is so _not_ the murderer because she is holding a bloody knife in her bloody hands and multiple people saw her stabbing her husband, or should I say, ex-husband, many times. Is this for real?"

"You know what? I give up on that detective. And his assistant. They are only there for show. How can you miss something that obvious?"

"What in the world is wrong with the director of this movie? Yes, you can solve a mystery in just a few days but you cannot just fall in love for life in just a day. That is just absurd."

"Tantei-kun."

"What?"

"Ever thought about being a movie critique?"

"...shut up."

O_^ DCMK

After exiting the movie theatre with the still slightly disgruntled detective who was muttering complaints under his breath with a pout on his face, the thief brought him to the park. He gently dragged the not-child to a bench that was conveniently shaded by a large tree and told him to wait for a second.

Conan watched KID skip happily to a nearby ice-cream truck and start a conversation with the owner. A small smile made its way onto his face, fondness evident in his usually sharp cerulean blue eyes. He leaned back onto his arms, tilting his head back so that green leaves filled his vision. Shifting his weight to his left, one hand reached up towards that blue sky that peeked through the green carpet. An audible sigh escaped his parted lips and he allowed himself to smile genuinely for once. How long had it been since he had felt this free?

Long arms wrapped themselves around him, and a soft kiss was placed on the top of his ear, followed by a few nibbles and a few more well-placed kisses on the curve of his neck that made him shiver involuntarily.

"Coffee-flavoured ice-cream for my favourite Tantei-kun," the thief whispered with a low voice in his ear. He gasped quietly, a faint blush spreading across his face. How the thief made such a _mundane_ sentence sound so seductive, he had no idea. Not that he really minded.

The not-child gave the other an affectionate tap on the head and held out his hand.

"W-well, give it to me."

The thief laughed at the detective stuttering and flicked 'her' right hand to conjure the ice-cream and handed it to him.

"So cute."

"Shut up," the not-child growled, narrowing his eyes as his face flushed an even deeper red, and focused his attention onto his ice-cream.

KID let out a carefree grin and sat down beside the detective to enjoy 'her' own chocolate ice-cream.

"So...did you enjoy today's date?" the thief asked nervously.

"Outing...," the other mumbled.

"Fine," KID groaned, "outing. But did you enjoy it?"

The not-child turned to 'her' and gestured for 'her' to come closer. With a confused look on 'her' face, KID leaned closer. 'Her' eyes widened when soft pink lips pressed themselves against 'her' own.

The detective smiled warmly at 'her'.

"I enjoyed our _outing_ very much. Thank you."

The hands on the clock in the park locked onto three o'clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: First Breakdown


	5. First Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first time _he_ had comforted him when he had finally broken down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...second chapter I'm posting today...and my fingers hurt...FYI...I really dislike this old computer...
> 
> P.S. Just to tell everyone, I've edited the tags to make this less confusing. Although Ran was very close to Shinichi and was, in a way, his anchor, they merely have a platonic relationship.

He still remembered the first time _he_ had comforted him when he had finally broken down.

\--

_"So my uncle recently bought another set of three sapphires and KID sent a notice just a few days ago saying that the heist will be tonight! Imagine Ran, my fateful meeting with that elusive, romantic thief under the full moon! A forbidden love hidden in the shadows!" the girl sighed dramatically, "Do you want to come with me? I'll need support for this!"_

_The brunette sighed at her friend's usual antics._

_"Why not? We've already finished the university stuff and school is ending soon."_

_"Come to think of it, when is your husband coming back anyways?"_

_The room suddenly became deathly silent._

_"R-ran?"_

_Ran breathed out a tired sigh before replying._

_"Th-that's the thing, Sonoko...I...I don't think I can wait for him anymore..."_

_Neither noticed the bespectacled boy who stood frozen outside the door, nor the bright blue eyes that glistened with unshed tears._

\--

Conan stared off into space, an empty, blank look in his eyes. He couldn't believe it. For a long time, she had been the only anchor he had had in this crazy life he lead. Only she had waited for him all that time, always sounding so hopeful everytime he called. Her voice echoed in his head, still uttering those same condemning words.

_"I...I don't think I can wait for him anymore."_

He tucked his legs within his arms, staring at his hand and laughed bitterly.

So small. He still hadn't grown much, even Ayumi was taller than him now by at least a centimeter.

If only...if only he hadn't followed those two that night. He should've minded his own business. Ran was right, he was too curious for his own good.

So caught up with his own thoughts, he didn't even notice the window to the room sliding open and a certain white-clad magician slipping in.

"Tantei-kun?"

White filled his vision and a gloved hand gently threaded its way through his hair.

"You didn't come tonight. Did something happen?"

The door to the apartment opened and footsteps sounded down the hallway.

"We're back, Conan-kun!"

KID gritted his teeth audibly in frustration.

"Tomorrow. I'll wait for you in your room."

The thief barely felt the nod given by the detective before giving him one last glance and disappearing through the open window into the dark night.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door.

"Conan-kun? Are you in there?"

Roughly shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the not-child put on a smile that never reached his eyes and padded over to the door.

"I'm here, Ran-nee-chan! Welcome back!"

O_^ DCMK

He waited until Ran and her father were asleep before quietly getting dressed and slipping out of the apartment with only his usual gadgets and his two cell phones.

Stepping out into the cool night air, he took off his glasses and shoved them into his jacked pocket. He breathed in deeply and exhaled the cold but fresh air and started down the road towards his house.

As soon as he got into his room, he sent a quick message to the hakase to cover for him and slumped onto the surprisingly clean bed. Curling into a small ball, he closed his eyes and slipped into what he knew would be a restless sleep.

O_^ DCMK

He didn't know how many times he woke up that night, gasping for breath nor how much he thrashed in the dark dreams that invaded his sleep but when he finally woke up fully the next day, it was already well into the afternoon.

Slim fingers wove through his hair as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times to adjust to the pale sunlight that filtered through the slightly parted curtains. A cool breeze shifted his hair and he involuntarily tilted his head back, baring his neck and snuggling closer to the warmth that belonged to the hands caressing his face so...lovingly.

He whined when the hands drew back, but started in surprise when they hooked under his arms to pull him into a warm embrace.

"KID...?"

"It's me, Tantei-kun. I apologize for being so late."

"Not your fault," the not-child mumbled, breathing in the unique scent of mint and chocolate the thief had, "Ran was there."

He hooked his arms around the thief's neck and snuggled deeper into the embrace, his nose picking up the faint smell of make-up that the other wore with his disguise.

The thief petted him affectionately and kissed him on the head, allowing the comfortable silence to envelope them until the dreaded question was whispered.

"What happened?"

His grip on the other tightened and he shook his head, refusing to answer.

"Look Tantei-kun, I need to know what happened or else I can't help you. Please?"

The detective looked up into the indigo eyes that had been left as they were unlike the rest of the thief's face, and burrowed back into the other's chest before mumbling out a barely coherent answer.

"Ran...Ran told Sonoko that she can't wait for the _other_ me anymore. She's given up."

KID froze for a moment.

"And so you think there's nothing for you to go back to?"

Conan nodded mutely.

"Dammit! Shin-chan, stop thinking like that!"

He gasped in surprise when the thief hugged him tightly and spoke softly to him words he would never forget.

"I'll always be here for you, Shin-chan. Don't you remember? I said that I would wait for you forever. So stop thinking that you've lost everything. Even if _she's_ not here, I'll be here, no matter what."

Small hands slowly moved up to cup the thief's face, smudging his make-up, forcing the thief to look into his wide blue eyes where tears were finally beginning to flow out like waterfalls. He hadn't cried this hard since he was young.

"Really...?"

"I promise."

A small smile passed over his face and he leaned his face upwards to peck the thief softly on the lips.

"Thank you...I'm sorry for having such stupid thoughts."

The thief chuckled tiredly, "As smart as you are, you really can be stupid sometimes, Shin-chan."

"Yes...I guess so."

_I'll always be with you too, no matter what._

The old clock in the hallway tolled four times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: First Acceptance


	6. First Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first time he had accepted _his_ confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, I am NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER, promising that I will post up three chapters at once when I still need to type them out...and that is to say that I already have a copy on paper...in pen. My hands are SORE and I still haven't finished reading the stories that I'm currently reading that might have been updated today...dammit...
> 
> But, I do hope you enjoy :) (I know it's short...but the previous two made up for it...right? Right? *puppy dog eyes*)
> 
> And I keep on making the stupid mistake of typing my notes in the chapter summary box...thank god I can copy and paste...
> 
> Comments are _extremely_ welcome!!! Especially after just finding out that even my _dad_ listens to KPOP...I mean, can you believe it...? Not being judgmental or anything, but it WAS surprising...
> 
> Remember, Ran and Shinichi were in a platonic relationship, so this is NOT a rebound!

He still remembered the first time he had accepted _his_ confession.

He had had enough of turning his head away everytime Ran was being nice to him. It just hurt too much, not being able to tell Ran that _he_ is _Kudo Shinichi_ , that he is right there by _her_ side. However, he had decided now. A month's time had made him realize that if Ran is moving on, he should too. There are no benefits in wallowing in the past. If anything, he should be looking onwards, towards the future.

He'd made his decision. He would tell him today, no matter what.

O_^ DCMK

The white silhouette landed onto the roof and gathered his wings that allowed him to fly like a bird in the endless sky.

"Tantei-kun. You called for me?"

The small figure wearing over-sized glasses that reflected the moonlight stepped out from the shadows.

"I did. How long until the others find this place?"

The thief flashed him his signature smirk, "I'd say at least half an hour with the rather...tangled and sticky situation they are in right now."

"I...," the detective started nervously, removing his glasses, "I wanted to tell you something..."

"Yes?" the thief raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue, though inside, his heart was beating like crazy hoping that whatever the detective wanted to tell him was what he thought it was.

"I...I've been th-thinking in the past month about wh-what y-you said to me l-last time...," the not-child stuttered out, a blush beginning to form on his face, "and I d-decided that..."

The magician forgot to breathe, waiting for the answer.

"...that I _think_ I like you as well...I would like to try it out with you."

The last part came out as barely more than a whisper, but the thief had heard what he needed to hear.

The not-child stumbled and gasped with shock when the thief, _his_ thief now, grabbed him into his arms and hugged him as tight as possible.

"Thank you so much, Tantei-kun," the thief mumbled into his ear, "thank you. I'll make sure you feel like the number one boyfriend in the world."

Conan smiled.

The digital clock displayed on a nearby sign changed to five o'clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: First Reveal
> 
> Wow...aren't you possessive, Conan, no? :)


	7. First Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first time _he_ had revealed the true identity of the elusive Moonlight Magician to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK...I can't believe how long it's been since I updated...and no excuses, it seems that I got too lazy over the summer... *nervous laughter*
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read this story (even though it has a lazy author), commented, kudoed (is that how you say it?), or bookmarked :) That would be Adryan Meredith Styx (MysticalMarauder), Ascella_Star, Yuukari, Yuu3, Justicegirl66, Agnes_Pulley, The_Fanclub_1, curiosity, ForgottenAvalon, 56leon, hauntedvoice, Calissa, Icyicy00, Aredriseth, hollow_death, cookieswithmilktea, Miss_Nanodayolo, the other 23 guests, failedyoungadult, NoxDawn24642 and everyone else who read the story :)
> 
> Also, special thanks to Adryan Meredith Styx who kind of gave me the last push to finish the remaining few paragraphs for this chapter and finally update this story after God knows how long time I've been lazing off.
> 
> I think that's it...? Well that's all for now, I hope you enjoy! (Personally, I kept on feeling as if the chapter was a tad bit corny, but you tell me. In other words, comment. ^_^)
> 
> Comments: 16  
> Kudos: 41  
> Bookmarks: 6  
> Hits: 614

He still remembered the first time _he_ had revealed the true identity of the elusive Moonlight Magician to him.

It had been during the start of summer when KID had dressed up as ‘Yukina-onee-chan’ again to take him away from the kids and Haibara, thoroughly enjoying Ayumi’s jealous face, full of anger aimed at the so-called ‘onee-chan’. The glint in her narrowed blue eyes suggested that she knew, or at least suspected, that ‘Yukina-onee-chan’ had less than pure intentions towards _her_ Conan-kun. However, even when she had latched her arms tightly around Conan’s the ‘onee-chan’ merely snapped ‘her’ fingers with a devious smirk and Ayumi found her wrists in handcuffs and Conan pulled to the other’s side. The ‘nee-chan’ tossed the key to Haibara and waved goodbye to them happily while dragging Conan away.

“She’s pretty,” Genta had commented dreamily.

“I know, right?” Mitsuhiko said with a dazed look on his face.

Ayumi threw her hands up in frustration.

O_^ DCMK

As soon as the Shounen Tantei were out of sight, Conan tried to pull his hand away, but KID only tightened his grip.

“You know,” he drawled, looking straight ahead with a bored expression, “you can let go of my hand now. I’m not actually a kid.”

“I know,” KID replied cheerfully.

“So, why are you refusing to let go of my hand?”

“Tantei-kun, I believe that holding hands is essential to a relationship. And you’re my boyfriend.”

“Oh.”

Conan blinked in surprise as they arrived at the nearest skytrain station, blushing when he realized what the thief had meant.

“Idiot thief…”

“ _Your_ idiot thief.”

His breath hitched hearing those words and he cleared his throat in an attempt to cover it, “I-I guess so.”

It was futile though as the thief giggled in ‘Yukina’s’ voice and Conan could only turn away in embarrassment, waiting for the thief to finish buying the tickets.

“Shut up.”

KID laughed, amused at the detective’s reactions, as they boarded the skytrain.

“So, where are we going?”

The thief winked and pressed a finger to his lips.

“ _C’est un secret_.”

The bespectacled boy’s eyes narrowed.

“...French?”

“ _Oui_.”

A business man who seemed to be in his 20s raised his head to regard ‘Yukina’ in a lustful manner, his eyes sliding over ‘her’ form and resting on ‘her’ hips, although he quickly returned to his phone when the ‘child’ with the ‘beauty’ gave him a less-than-friendly look.

“You bastard.”

“ _Your_ bastard.”

“Insufferable.”

“Sarcastic.”

“Stupid.”

“Smart.”

“Clever.”

“Sexy.”

An old lady seated nearby wrinkled her nose in obvious disgust staring blatantly at what she had automatically presumed to be an incestuous relationship.

“...what? Fine, two can play this game. Irresistible.”

“Delectable.”

“Vixen.”

“Cupid.”

“Did you seriously just call me that Greek God that is a kid? Screw you. Charming.”

“Why, thank you, Tantei-kun. Besides you _did_ call me a Vixen, no? Naïve.”

The thief dragged him out of the skytrain as soon as the doors opened, leaving behind the businessman and the old woman and led him onto the streets.

“Huh? How the hell am I naïve? Witty.”

“Innocent.”

“Wait. Where are you going with this?”

“Pure.”

“KID...you better start explaining right here and now.”

The thief’s sudden movement of bending over and breathing near his ear startled him as one last word was whispered.

“Virgin.”

Conan’s face went tomato red and KID laughed merrily, resuming walking while pulling along the still shocked detective.

“So cute.”

“KID.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to kill you later.”

“How romantic of you.”

“...masochist.”

“Ouch.”

O_^ DCMK

They arrived at an old theatre that had probably been abandoned quite some time ago. There were two small stone pillars in front of the double-door entrance, the doors made of a deep burgundy wood, coloured with age. Information boards on either side of the entrance were empty other than the small pieces of ripped edges from paper posted on there long ago. KID grasped one of the two gold-covered metal handles, carved ornately with delicate lines and small ornaments, and opened the door.

“Welcome to _Ma Dame_.”

“French again?”

The thief chuckled, “Yes, French for ‘My Lady’. My father’s colleague once bought this place and allowed my father to name it. Being the romantic idiot he was, he named it after mother, albeit without the ‘Phantom’. It would’ve been too much of a dead giveaway.”

“Your mother was the Phantom Lady? I guess thievery runs in the family.”

“Please, Tantei-kun,” KID scoffed, “I’m not just _any_ thief, I’m a _gentleman_ thief.”

Conan rolled his eyes, “I don’t recall gentleman thieves ever crossdressing.”

“See, you’re being narrow-minded now,” KID pouted, “who said gentleman thieves can’t crossdress?”

The not-child shook his head in mock sadness, “Such a pity, my perfectly handsome boyfriend attempting to crossdress to do some...socializing.”

“Tantei-kun, are you accusing me of attempting to cheat? I would never.”

“Maybe,” Conan smirked, “but why do you keep on dressing up as a girl in front of my friends?”

The thief winked mischieviously at him, “Why, Tantei-kun, all to scare off a certain ojou-chan, no?”

“What?” the detective blinked in surprise as he heard the door shut behind them, enveloping them in complete darkness, “Why would you want to scare off Haibara?” A loud crash sounded near him and he finally gave up trying to navigate in the darkness. Turning on the night vision setting on his glasses, he found the thief in an extremely painful-looking position beside some toppled plastic chairs.

“Wow, smooth, gentleman thief,” he deadpanned as he quickly took out his phone, switched the settings and took several pictures; material for potential blackmailing the next time the thief tries to flirt with someone other than him.

KID rubbed his throbbing backside with a scowl, “And you’re as dense and naïve as a child. Even a five-year-old would be able to read between the line.”

“So it’s not Haibara? But then...wait, are you jealous of _Ayumi_? She’s a child! Are you trying to compete with a kid?”

“So what if I’m competing with a kid?” the thief grumbled petulantly, “As long as they are trying to steal what is mine, they are considered a rival, regardless of their age.”

“You really are hopeless, aren’t you?”

KID flashed him a cocky grin, “Then you would be my angel, Tantei-kun.”

“Go die, you idiot.”

“W-wait! You’re not just going to leave me here, are you? At least give me a hand!”

Conan turned away and pointedly ignored the thief’s pleas, although he couldn’t deny the faint pink spreading across his cheeks.

“Tantei-kun,” the other whined, “Shin-chan, you are the sexiest, hottest, most intelligent, most clever, most irresistible‒‒”

The detective hesitated. Maybe he _should_ go back and give a hand.

“‒‒most adorable, most cute, most cuddly-looking‒‒”

Scratch that. The thief could go ahead and die for all he cared.

“Shin-chan!”

O_^ DCMK

When the thief finally realized that his words of supposed praise were getting nowhere, he huffed in disappointment and got up rather quickly to head over to where Conan stood, still refusing to acknowledge him.

“Alright, Tantei-kun, stop ignoring me,” he said with a whine and got up close to widen his eyes and flutter the fake eyelashes he had put on with his ‘Yukina’ disguise, “pretty, pretty please?” He pouted and bit slightly on his lower lip.

Conan had to remember how to breathe again when he saw the thief looking so...seductive and innocent.

“J-just get on with whatever you were planning to do today.”

“Gladly, my Tantei-kun!”

KID led him through the many rows of seats until they reached what he presumed to be the front center and he was seated right in the middle, in front of the stage.

“Enjoy the show, Shin-chan,” the thief whispered in his ear before suddenly disappearing from his side, leaving him alone in the darkness.

Conan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, realizing the thief had turned off the night vision on his glasses at some point. He had never really liked the dark. It held hidden secrets, often more than what he preferred, and the blackness always reminded him of _Them_.

He jumped in surprise when a single spotlight suddenly shone on the empty stage, blinding him momentarily.

“What the…?”

A deep, soothing voice sounded throughout the room, echoing in the darkness.

“Long, long ago, there lived a young boy who loved magic. His father was a magician, his mother someone who dabbled in something similar and he had a best friend whose father is a police officer. He lived a happy childhood, learning magic from his father and playing pranks all around.”

Conan looked on with interest when props began dropping into the spotlight, supported by thin wires, as the voice began its story. From his vantage point, he could see that each prop was carefully drawn on and made, making him wonder how the thief had all that time to make such things. It must be hectic to have to juggle a daytime identity, a nighttime identity and a troublesome boyfriend all at once. Then again, the thief was known for accomplishing the seemingly impossible.

“However, his world came crashing down on him one day when his father had an accident at a magic show and died.”

A bright fire flashed and consumed the father prop as the voice whispered its demise and only burnt pieces of paper remained below where the prop had been. The spotlight dimmed and Conan tensed involuntarily. A single prop came down.

“The boy and his mother were devastated. Time passed…”

The stage lightened as more spotlights came on.

“...and the boy was now in high school with his best friend who was often unnecessarily violent.”

Another prop showing a girl with a broom attacked the boy that had been drawn on the previous prop, the expressions on the faces changing every time the props spun around. The detective winced when the broom made contact; he definitely could relate to that with all the death threats and freakishly strong karate moves Ran had used on him before.

“The boy lived a rather carefree life; he was smart, he loved pranks and magic, and he was quite handsome, if I do say so myself.”

His eye twitched with annoyance. That smug voice...the thief’s just asking for a soccer ball.

“Now, before a soccer ball ruins this wonderful story, I must continue and ask the audience to refrain from any unnecessary destruction until the end of the tale.”

That damn thief…!!

“Ahem...continuing on, one day the boy stumbled upon something; a secret room hidden behind the portrait of his deceased father.”

The lights dimmed again as the prop with the girl disappeared and new ones flew down to create a smaller version of the secret room KID was talking about.

“Amazed yet still confused by what he presumed his father had left behind, he donned the mask of the Phantom Thief 1412 for the first time. Flying through the night skies, he discovered several disturbing truths.”

Here, the deep voice dropped into a mocking whisper that could barely be heard. Conan had to lean forward and strain his ears to make sense of the words being said as the scenarios changed rapidly in the little play unfolding before his eyes.

“His father died in an accident? No, he was murdered! Murdered by an organization questing after the secret behind eternal life, fools chasing after the legend of Pandora, a doublet that glows red under the full moon, and shed tears of immortality every 10,000 years, when the Volley Comet streaks across the skies.”

Conan’s eyes widened. So this was why. This was the reason behind all that the thief had ever done; the heists, the flashy costume, the targeted jewels. This...this was why he could connect to the thief so well that the irony of the situation was just completely insane and laughable. They were so different yet still the same; they had gone through the same loneliness, the same pains and the same excitement, thrill and fear of being at Death’s Door. Everyday was a day of risks, secrets, survival and the ever-present possibility of dying.

The spotlights abruptly went out for a second before flashing back on to reveal the new scenery, a row of buildings under a night sky, with the Clock Tower where they had first met nestled between a cozy café and a tall business building. The slow _tick tick_ sounds came quietly from the moving hands of the Clock Tower and stars twinkled above, accompanied by a beautiful full moon that hung near the corner.

The detective marvelled at the tiny details and was barely able to notice the figure that slowly strolled onto the stage, jumped down and stood before him. Cerulean blue eyes took in the tousled chocolate hair, sparkling violet-blue eyes and slim fingers wrapped in tight gloves, noticing every little detail and committing them to memory, from the slightly uneven part of the upper lip to the lean muscles hidden behind a thin layer of fiber.

“And that boy was me. Kuroba Kaito, soon to be magician extraordinaire, at your service.”

The not-child smiled gently, taking off his glasses, “Nice to meet you, Kuroba Kaito.”

The hands on the mini Clock Tower in the background formed a perfectly straight line as the bell within sounded six times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'est un secret: It's a secret.
> 
> Oui: Yes.
> 
> Next Chapter: First Sunset
> 
> Can anyone think of where a clock would be in the wild? My head huuuuuurts from thinking about this little problem...
> 
> The sunset chapter was originally supposed to be an earlier chapter according to my planning until I realized...who has a sunset in the afternoon? Like, 4 o'clock? I tapped myself on the head for making such a stupid mistake...


	8. First Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first sunset _he_ had shared with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...I finally finished this chapter...
> 
> With the start of school and extra courses, I am absolutely exhausted, so I am not sure how often I will be able to update. I apologize if this means a long wait time, but I will try my best to write the next few chapters...and...SO CLOSE TO 10, 000! Just a bit more...*collapses --- need more sleep*
> 
> And wow, 186 more hits with just the last chapter? Damn, I love you guys ^_^ And thank you to the twelve people who gave kudos since the last chapter :)
> 
> Anyways, hope you like it! As usual, comments, kudos, suggestions all welcome :)

He still remembered the first sunset _he_ had shared with him.

With the summer break ending in two weeks and all of his summer homework finished, he was bored. Add on the fact that murder cases just popped up in front of him for every second or third day in the past few weeks, he was exhausted. The Shounen Tantei weren’t helping either. All the running around only made him more tired and Ayumi’s infatuation of him had only gotten worse with her newfound jealousy flaring up every time she was reminded of a certain ‘onee-chan’. On every little ‘expedition’ that they went on, there was barely a moment when Conan could escape from her clutches; somehow she had worked up the resolve to wrap her arms tightly around his, never letting go unless she had to, and Haibara, the devil, only laughed from the sidelines. All in all, he was tired, exhausted, bored, stressed and grumpy. And frustrated. And peeved. So when the rather random letter came, offering him, Ran and her father a free trip for three days and two nights at the hot springs, he had been more than delighted to accept.

He really should’ve paid more attention to who actually sent the letter.

O_^ DCMK

“So you’re telling me that you just conveniently forgot to book a room for us so that I’m with you, got Hakuba-san to room with Nakamouri-san and Mouri-san and booked us some private time in one of the hot springs that supposedly has a beautiful view?”

“Yes, Shin-chan!”

“Don’t ‘Yes, Shin-chan’ me!” Conan threw his hands up in exasperation, glaring at the thief through slitted eyes, “You do realize that Ran will be keeping an eye on you the whole time, suspecting you to be a pedophile and storm into our room at unearthly hours just to do random checkups?”

“Aw, that’s so cute, Shin-chan, saying it’s ‘our’ room!”

“You,” the not-child gritted his teeth, unable to actually get angry, “you really are hopeless.” How did this happen again? Right, they had reached the onsens and had been checking in, only to realize that there had somehow been a mistake and that there were no rooms booked for them previously nor any left for them to settle in now. Needless to say, Mouri-san was more than a tiny bit furious and Ran had an extremely disappointed look on her face. It had just gotten to the point where the older self-acclaimed detective was about to use his one trump card, the fact that he was the one and only famous Nemuri no Kogoro, when an incredibly familiar brunet and company of three strolled over and called out to Conan. While Ran got acquainted with her lookalike Nakamouri Aoko and the girl’s boyfriend, Hakuba Saguru, Mouri-san started chatting with Nakamouri-san and Kaito promptly engulfed the not-child with an over-friendly, rather intimate hug. Of course, being the observant person he was, Hakuba had noticed and quirked a questioning eyebrow at the magician, as if saying, _What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing to a boy I didn’t even know you knew?_ After a few more minutes of cuddling, Kaito had ruffled his hair gently, then quickly dragged the British detective away for a bit of what he claimed to be “gentle, peaceful persuasion”. Hakuba had come back looking significantly paler than before. Then the thief had proposed his ridiculous idea of having the girls share a room, Nakamouri-san, Mouri-san and Hakuba share another while he and Conan shared the last one. Though eager to accept such a generous offer, Ran had hesitated for a moment, her worrying eyes flickering repeatedly from Conan to Kaito. Mindful of how protective the girl could be, the bespectacled boy put even more effort in portraying a childlike excitement at the thought of rooming with the magician.

“Shin-chan?”

Startled from his train of thoughts, Conan looked at his still-pouting boyfriend who had been the cause of this particular mess.

“What?”

“No, you just looked kind of out of it,” Kaito commented worriedly but his tone immediately lightened, “but that’s why you’re here! Being the considerate boyfriend that I am, I realized how stressed you were during my observation of you and thus arranged this relaxing trip for us to spend some quality time together.”

“You were stalking me?” Conan spluttered incredulously.

“I...might’ve.”

“Why?”

The magician scowled, “I have to protect what’s mine, otherwise that brat will take any chance given.”

“Kaito,” the not-child sighed, “you’re _still_ jealous of Ayumi? For heaven’s sake, and I’m sure I’ve told you this before, but she’s a goddamn kid!”

“A kid who’s trying to take what’s mine.”

“I give up trying to persuade you to stop your little cat fights with a freaking kid,” he rolled his eyes, changing the topic, “so what did you do to Hakuba? He seemed quite suspicious of you and me.”

“Oh,” Kaito fluttered his eyelashes innocently, “I just _might_ have, I don’t know, threatened to photoshop some pictures into some rather provocative, sexy material and send to them to a _certain_ police officer who’s also the father of his girlfriend? Trust me, the fool is head over heels for Aoko and he certainly wouldn’t want to ruin his chances for marriage.”

“The poor soul,” Conan shook his head in mock sympathy, “he must be terribly traumatized by your devious ways by now.”

“I’m sure he’s not,” the magician scoffed, “otherwise he would never qualify as boyfriend material for Aoko. She _is_ my childhood friend, even though she is quite violent with the mop.”

The detective laughed, “I can imagine. Anyways, it’s almost dinner time, so let’s get going.”

“Oh, come on,” the other suddenly latched onto Conan and whined, “we can be a _little_ late, no?”

“Do you want Ran’s suspicions to be proved correct? Or Hakuba to get on your case again?”

The thief immediately retracted his hands and shook his head slowly like a wounded puppy.

“Good. Now let’s go.”

O_^ DCMK

“And then I was almost knocked out! You see, the murderer thought he got me but the truth is that, being the top-notch detective that I am, I already knew of his plans!”

Raucous laughter sounded from the older detective’s mouth as the leader of the Division 2 police force joined in. Conan shoved in a mouthful of tempura and shook his head sadly when he caught Kaito glancing at him. Small giggles erupted from the two of them as they saw a rather dejected-looking Hakuba sitting across from them who seemed to have lost all hope in escaping from his fate of rooming with the two older men.

“I kind of feel bad for him,” the not-child whispered quietly to the magician who was sitting to his right. The whole group had congregated in one room, with the two older men sitting together and Conan to their right with Kaito, while the girls and Hakuba sat across from them.

“Meh, don’t be. Personally, I think it’s the perfect punishment for that British bastard after all the trouble he’s caused me.”

“You mean I haven’t at all?”

“W-well, I mean you’re a special case, so you don’t count.”

From the other side of the room, Ran and Aoko studied the two with wonder.

“Wow, those two sure seem to be close, no?” Ran laughed.

“Hmph,” Aoko scoffed, “it just proves that Bakaito really is a kid after all.”

“By the way, Hakuba-san,” the brunette asked with curiosity, “why didn’t you room with Conan-kun and Kuroba-san? I’m sure you would get along well with Conan-kun since you both are interested in mysteries.”

Cold sweat broke out on the British detective’s forehead as he recalled something extremely disturbing and he laughed nervously.

“N-no, it seems that Kuroba-san is already well-acquainted with Conan-kun, so I thought, why not let the two of them interact for a while, to give Conan-kun a break from all the murder cases he’s been involved in the past few weeks? School is starting soon, after all.”

“I guess so,” Ran mused, “Conan-kun _has_ looked pretty down lately.”

“You’re so thoughtful, Saguru-kun!” Aoko happily hugged her boyfriend’s arm and a light pink settled across his face.

“Aw,” Kaito catcalled from across the room, “is our little Haku-chan blushing?”

“Shut up, Bakaito!” his childhood friend shouted back.

“Yes, yes,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t be mean to Hakuba-nii-san, Kaito-nii-san! Ran-onee-san told me that it’s bad to bully other people!”

The childish voice took the thief by surprise and he shot Conan a betrayed look full of hurt.

“What?” the not-child lowered his voice, smirking, “It _is_ true.”

“I swear,” Kaito muttered under his breath, “children are the worst, the ungrateful little devils.”

“Kaito. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Be nice.”

“I’m not a dog,” he grumbled.

“You’re not a cat either.”

“Why?”

“Because you hate fish.”

Kaito gave a small shriek, hissing out only one word.

“ _Sadist!_ ”

O_^ DCMK

Kaito and Conan excused themselves from the room soon after, leaving the others to continue their little party.

The magician moved quickly, taking several turns and passing by many traditional Japanese rooms where sounds of laughter and clinks of drinking cups filled the air.

“Hey, Kaito, where are we going? The hot springs should be the other way.”

“I know, Tantei-kun, but remember I booked something special for us?”

“Oh. I see.”

The detective remained silent in anticipation of the other’s surprise as they walked on. The boisterous noises around them eventually ceased as they entered another hallway and neared the dead end where there was a simple doorway, half-covered by a piece of blue cloth.

“We’re here.”

Entering the room, Conan saw it was extremely cozy. There was only one row of shelves with wooden boxes to the left and to the right were several closed wooden closets, most likely filled with extra yukatas and towels. Two sets of these were already placed on the bench near the shelf, and screen doors were installed on the opposite wall to the entrance which led to the onsens.

“Alright. Get ready. We’re going to have to move fast if we don’t want to miss it.”

The detective had to fight back a smile. The thief really was going above and beyond with all this. He walked towards the pile set aside for him and started taking off his shirt.

“No peeking,” he warned when he felt piercing eyes land on him.

“Tch,” the thief pouted, “it’s not like you’re a girl, Tantei-kun.”

“You want to sleep outside tonight?” the detective warned, taking off his glasses.

“But Shin-chan,” the other whined, “won’t you miss me?”

“No.”

“How mean of you. Anyways, close your eyes, Shin-chan.”

They both secured a towel around their waists and put their clothes and belongings in separate wooden boxes. Cool hands covered his eyes and Kaito guided him over to the sliding doors to reveal the steaming onsens waiting for them.

The onsen wasn’t too small but it wasn’t too big either that it made the whole place feel too empty. Rocks of all sizes surrounded it, some also looming out from within the water and several bare somei-yoshino trees crowded the edges of where the stone ground ended.

“Be careful,” the thief warned, his hands still covering the detective’s eyes and led him into the onsen, making sure the not-child did not slip or bump into anything. Conan clung onto his boyfriend as his skin came into contact with the rather hot water, shivering into Kaito’s embrace. The thief was now supporting his entire body but still had one hand blocking Conan’s vision. Kaito waded slowly through the onsen, stopping when he reached a rock that stood deep in the hot water and was in a perfect position for what he wanted to show to his beloved. He sat down, seating the detective onto his lap.

“Open your eyes now,” he whispered.

Conan opened his eyes, his breath hitching at the sight before him.

Orange gold light shone onto him and Kaito, tracing along the contours of his face and body, leaving behind traces of shadows. A beautiful palette of purple, red, orange, yellow and fading blue was spread across the sky as the bright globe of light slid down a bit more with every passing second, gradually beginning to disappear behind the jagged edges of the distant mountains.

“It’s beautiful,” the detective sighed with contentedness, finally remembering how to breathe again.

“It is,” the magician affirmed gently, “when my father was still alive, he would sometimes take my mother here to relax when things got busy. She suggested me bringing you here since you were all stressed out.”

“You’ll have to thank your mother for me.”

“No thanks for me?”

“Of course, you too. Thank you, Kaito,” Conan smiled, pecking the thief briefly on the cheek.

Faint red covered Kaito’s face and the not-child chuckled at the flustered expression.

“Um, you’re...welcome?” the thief managed to squeak out, “Uh...let’s take a picture!”

“What?”

“To remember this moment forever! I need a new screensaver anyways.”

“How cheesy of you.”

“But you love me.”

The magician flicked his hand, showing a sleek, black flip phone.

“You brought your cell phone? Who brings their cell phone into an onsen?”

“Smart, creative people like me,” the thief answered smugly and turned Conan and himself around, preparing to take the picture.

“Turn on the flash, idiot.”

“Right, Shin-chan. Don’t worry, I did.”

A click sounded and the screen froze, capturing the scene of a wild-haired teenager and a mature-looking child, both smiling freely with the sunset behind them.

The digits in the corner of the screen switched to seven o’clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: First Day Over


	9. First Day Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first time he had been brought over to _his_ house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...long time no see? *hides immediately*
> 
> I have no excuses, other than my laziness, so if you shall allow me to post and leave you in peace to read. Please, no violence...? Since this chapter is a lot longer than the others?
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story :)
> 
> Words: 12887 (finally past 10k mark!)  
> Comments: 37  
> Kudos: 90  
> Bookmarks: 16  
> Hits: 1573

He still remembered the first time he had been brought over to _his_ house.

It had been during a long weekend, shortly after the start of school. They were learning multiplication and division in school now, though, he would roll his eyes every time they were required to recite the multiplication table. He had learned all this before he was in kindergarten.

“Conan-kun!”

The not-child stopped in his tracks and turned around as Ayumi promptly engulfed him in a bear hug, knocking both of them to the ground.

“Ayumi? What is it?”

The girl buried herself into his chest, tightening her arms, and Conan shifted uncomfortably, tilting his head back to look at the pale grey sky. The glares sent by Mitsuhiko and Genta who were both approaching at quite admirable speeds compared to their usual P.E. results only made him sweat more bullets.

“Ayumi? What’s wrong?”

Fluttering her eyelashes, she glanced up at the detective with a small pout, her eyes opened as wide as possible, showing the glistening tears that threatened to fall.

“Conan-kun...can you stay and play with me some more today?”

“Huh?” his voice wavered with confusion.

“Well...it’s just that you’re always going out with that Yukina-onee-chan, and you never spend time with me or the Shounen Tantei anymore.”

The not-child laughed nervously...he _had_ been spending quite a bit of time with that ‘onee-chan’.

“I...I realize that you probably like Yukina-onee-chan in _that_ way…”

“What? Of course not!” Conan blushed. What were kids learning these days? To be so knowledgeable about love but still not know the multiplication table.

“But Conan-kun has always liked that type! You even went after Ran-nee-chan before!”

Conan innerly groaned; if only they knew what was actually going on. While he didn’t want to confirm Ayumi’s accusations, he couldn’t exactly deny them either.

“Look, Ayumi,” he sighed, “it’s not what you think it is. Yukina-onee-chan just finds it amusing to tease you.”

“No! The way she looks at you…”

“The way she looks at me…?”

Ayumi sniffled, blinking rapidly to contain the tears that were beginning to spill.

“I-I just wanted to tell you that...I want you to be happy, Conan-kun, s-so...if you really do like someone...you have my support…”

His eyes widened in surprise, as he watched the little girl struggle not to cry. Before he even realized what he was doing, he had already pulled Ayumi into a tight hug, allowing her tears to stain his shirt a shade darker. He stared into nothingness, barely registering the flickering shades of warmth that weakly shone throughout the sky.

“Conan-kun--!”

The two approaching boys had neared but Mitsuhiko had been sensitive enough to realize that this was a private moment and stuffed a steamed bun into Genta’s wide mouth.

“Thank you, Ayumi.”

O_^ DCMK

“Why so quiet today, Tantei-kun?”

Conan snapped out of his daze to see that his boyfriend was dangling a beautiful light pink rose in front of him, the thorns already plucked off carefully. His lips quirked at the edge, as he accepted the rose, holding it gently between his hands as he thought how to answer his boyfriend’s question.

“It’s alright, you know. You don’t have to tell me right now.”

Conan sighed gratefully, “Mm-hm. Maybe later.” It was nice to have someone so understanding around.

They walked to the station in a comfortable silence, Kaito occasionally pointing things out or performing small card tricks that often caught the attention of many people who were around them. Quite a few girls turned their way and Conan found himself rather irritated that Kaito hadn’t bothered with his ‘Yukina-onee-chan’ disguise today. No, on second thought, wouldn’t that mean if he _had_ dressed up, then it would be all the guys ogling him? Damn, one of the many problems of having a multitalented _and_ handsome boyfriend who is also secretly a thief.

“Kaito,” he growled when he saw _another_ girl flutter her eyelashes and smile demurely at the thief, “K-kiss me.”

The hands that had turned to juggling brightly coloured balls stuttered for only a moment, a second enough for the blue ball to bounce once on the ground before they all disappeared in small puffs of smoke.

“W-what are you talking about, T-tantei-kun? Surely you jest?”

Conan planted himself on the ground and glared up at the thief with a pout.

“No. I am not ‘jesting’.”

Kaito glanced around nervously, cursing inside. Why was Shinichi suddenly being so difficult?

“Shinichi, what’s up?” he leaned down to hiss in the other’s ear, “Why now? You do realize that someone _will_ have me arrested for kissing you in public right? You are still in the body of a kid.”

“I don’t care,” the not-child grumbled, a blush settling on his face, “you could get arrested and then I won’t have to deal with a troublesome idiot anymore.”

“That wounds me,” the thief chuckled awkwardly, “look, when we get to my house alright?”

Conan narrowed his eyes most impressively to make his boyfriend cower and squirm for what seemed like an eternity to Kaito before he nodded silently. He didn’t really want to mess up the date Kaito had planned for half a month. The scowl remained on his face though. 

“Carry me.”

Kaito sighed, smiling with a rather relieved expression, “Of course, my princess.”

In one smooth movement, he had the detective in his arms, the warm body pressed tightly against his own.

Conan mumbled something under his breath, causing the thief to raise an eyebrow at him in question.

“I said...I’m not a princess…”

His boyfriend chuckled, ignoring the pointed glare sent his way.

O_^ DCMK

It was about half an hour later that they arrived in Ekoda, and Conan had officially given up with trying to convince the other passengers on the train that he and Kaito were not brothers. The annoyed tick on his face worsened when another lady at the station they had gotten off at cooed at how ‘cute’ the brothers were.

“Relax, Tantei-kun, we’re almost there.”

“I will relax when they all shut the hell up,” he hissed, and the thief gave him a look of mock pity, amused by how similar the detective was to an enraged kitten right now.

“Now, now,” Kaito laughed lightly, snapping his fingers to present his sullen boyfriend with a cup of hot coffee, within a blue thermos decorated with little kid caricatures and white roses.

“Really?” the detective accepted the coffee gratefully, raising an eyebrow at the design on it.

“Of course,” he scoffed, a brief look of relief flitting across his face that the not-child barely caught.

Conan hummed in approval, a pleased expression shot at Kaito.

“Feeling better?”

“I guess so.”

“Well then, let’s get going!”

O_^ DCMK

Conan sipped at his coffee in a blissful manner that made Kaito want to whip out his phone and secretly snap a few photos. Not that he would. He knew that the not-child would throw a fit and get him back at the next heist he plans. The detective could be pretty unpleasant when wanted to be, although the damn British detective was even more so, considering he was unpleasant all the time. Besides, they were already risking enough as it is, spending as much time as possible with each other and indulging in the fleeting feelings of warmth of each other’s company. The Organization had been silent for the past few months, and it was without a doubt that something was up. The calm before the storm. He had noticed the detective fidgeting more and more the past month, unable to lie still and constantly fiddling with the rims and sides of his glasses.

He smiled, leading the detective down the familiar streets, turning the corners where shrubs poked out from the slivers of space between iron fences. Reaching the quaint light yellow two-storey house that his parents had bought before he had even been born, he stopped in front of the black metal gate, the strips curving from the straight poles into beautiful, intricate circular and ovoid patterns. He opened the gate, allowing his boyfriend to pass through first before closing it behind him and jogging to the four-panelled walnut door to unlock it.

“Ladies first.”

“Shut up, Kaito,” Conan rolled his eyes, and let his gaze wander about the entryway that led into the kitchen and living room, shrugging off his shoes to change into small blue slippers that were already set up at the front neatly in a pair.

“Cozy. Do you live alone?”

“Why thank you, Tantei-kun. My mom comes by from time to time, but most of the time I’m by myself.”

“You mean you rely on Nakamouri-chan for everything.”

“Shin-chan!” Kaito gasped in mock shock, “I will have you know that I’m quite the independent teenager!”

The detective smirked, “So you’re saying you can cook?”

“I...can?” the thief replied, slipping in a ‘at least I think so’ under his breath.

“I sense hesitance, and I definitely heard what you just said Kaito,” Conan laughed lightheartedly, “looks like we both depend on our childhood friends for survival, huh?”

“I don’t know,” Kaito muttered, “I swear Ahouko threatens me with f-f-fi--ugh! You know, _those_ things, at every meal. Do you realize how much of my genius that destroys?”

“Just be grateful she even makes food for you to stay alive.”

The thief snorted, feeling rather insulted, as he led his boyfriend around the house, letting the detective soak in the details. The small kitchen with the barely-used stove top and near-empty refrigerator and freezer, save for the two tubs of ice-cream, milk and surprisingly, a lemon-meringue cake. There was the scent of freshly grounded coffee beans floating in the air and Conan looked on with approval when he saw the expensive coffee machine already up and running in near the corner of the stone counter. He ran his small fingers across the well-made chestnut Euro-style cabinets, a warm companion to the clean pale yellow wallpaper.

“Puh-lease. Ahouko cannot even imagine the ideas and amazing tricks a gentleman such as I can cook up.”

“Those are not edible.”

“They are _mentally_.”

They passed the living room where there were two bistre-coloured futon-sofas with a burnt umber tea table and a 56 inch LCD-TV. Climbing the stairs, Conan counted seven to be exact, the hallway had Kaito’s room to the right, while the bathroom, master bedroom and office were to the left.

“We’ll see you talk about ‘mentally’ when you are squirming on the ground, hungry and in pain.”

Kaito smirked as the detective made a move to enter his bedroom, and commented in a lilting voice, “Does that mean you will learn how to cook for me?”

Conan halted, his hand frozen on the half-turned door-knob.

“Kaito, there’s a reason Ran was appointed by my mother as my caretaker.”

“I’m sure your culinary skills are not _that_ bad.”

The detective turned around to face the thief, a glint of amusement in his cobalt eyes, “We’ll see about that. I just might considering how courteous you were today.”

“I’ll gladly offer myself as your first lab rat,” Kaito said, his face completely serious all of a sudden.

“On second thought, I’m too tired.”

“No! I’m sorry, Shin-chan, I’ll be more than glad to have the honour of tasting your food!”

Conan smirked, but continued to wail out his woes and enjoy himself in the choking sounds that were coming out of Kaito’s throat.

“To think I would have such an ungrateful boyfriend,” he sighed dramatically, his back facing the thief as he used one finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the light reflecting against the clear lens.

“B-but, Shin-chan!”

O_^ DCMK

It ended up with the not-child looking up on his phone for the simplest curry recipe, since he figured that after watching Ran make it so many times right in front of him, he would be able to do it easily enough...right? Right.

They had made a quick trip to the nearest grocery store and gotten the necessary ingredients, making it back in less than half an hour and then Conan set off into the kitchen, back straight and forced confidence paired with a tense look.

Now at the present, he impressively glares at the peeled potatoes on the cutting board with as much malice he could muster while standing on a tall stool wearing a flowery KID apron and holding a _very_ sharp knife.

Alright, he thought, breathing deeply, hand on the left, curled, right hand around the knife, and cut. And cut. And cu--

“Holy shit!”

His sudden outburst had the thief bursting into the kitchen like he was running for his life.

“Shin-chan! What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Are you bleeding? Do you--”

Conan calmly looks at the panicking Kaito with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

“Quiet down, idiot. I want you to cut the potatoes. And anything else that needs to be cut.”

Kaito took one look at the single mangled potato on the cutting board and the seven that were still piled at the side and shut up without another word.

A happy wife is a happy life. No questions, no arguing. Oh shit, they were totally slipping into a couple mood weren’t they? He silently picked up the knife and began chopping the potatoes, suddenly feeling grateful for all the times his childhood friend had forced him to slice or chop food for her under the threat of _those_ things. Funny how the threats always went unnoticed by the _inspector_ who _lived_ in the house. Terrorizing makes perfect.

The detective, who had hopped down the stool and dragged it in front of the stove, started reading the instructions again in a small sing-song voice under his breath.

“Alright, next is…”

O_^ DCMK

They somehow survived with some decent looking curry, and Conan looked quite proud of himself for being able to read instructions and follow them without much trouble. Kaito was in charge of washing dishes as the not-child scraped the rest of the curry from the pot into a container to be stored in the refrigerator. Handing the pot to the thief, he gave him a small smile.

“So, what are we doing next?”

“Movie?” Kaito pondered for a moment, looking at the clock. Half past six, they could fit in a movie before he had to send Conan back. The not-child had told Ran that he would be spending the long weekend with the professor, but even then, Ai had made it quite clear that she wanted her ‘lab rat’ back no later than midnight or else she would ‘dissect and torture’ the thief in the worst ways possible. Kaito was still convinced that the little ojou-chan secretly holds feelings towards _his_ tantei-kun, not that he was jealous or anything. Just protective. Like a normal boyfriend.

“You have a collection?”

“No, but there is something called wi-fi here, darling.”

“Darling? At least that’s better than ‘baby’, what that old lady the other day called me. I don’t need any more insults to my age considering the amount of sass I get from the police force already,” the not-child sighed, walking to the living room and dropping himself on the sofa. He took off his glasses and slowly cleaned them, carefully rubbing the lenses against the soft material of his shirt.

Kaito finished with the dishes and dried his hands off.

“Dessert?”

“Sure, why not. I want cake.”

“I figured, Shin-chan,” the thief chuckled, “why else did you think my usually empty refrigerator has something so fancy in it?”

Conan snorted, placing his glasses on the tea table, “I’m more surprised there aren’t any dead or rotting things in there.”

“Unlike you, I don’t actually buy things when I know I can’t cook. I’m smart enough to leave it all to Ahouko.”

“...Kaito.”

“Don’t get angry yet, here’s your piece of cake,” Kaito immediately slid into the room, a perfectly sliced piece of cake on a glass plate with a small spoon.

Conan smiled happily, accepting the cake as Kaito set up the TV with a laptop and started the first episode of some romantic comedy before making a quick trip back to the kitchen to retrieve a tub of ice cream and a big spoon.

“Are you trying to give yourself a brain freeze?” the not-child tore his attention from the screen and motioned for the thief to cuddle with him, to which Kaito more than readily complied, snuggling the small body between his legs.

“Nah, it’ll take more than a brain freeze to take down the great Kaitou KID.”

“Focus!” the not-child hissed at the other, his gaze suddenly focused onto the TV drama once again, “What in the world is that freaking woman doing? It’s A! The answer is obviously A! No, no, no--”

“Shin-chan...this is a romantic comedy.”

“So? Focus, Kaito, seriously, I swear they make these cliché scenes just to frustrate the hell out of us!”

“That _is_ the point, hon.”

“Shh!”

Kaito raised an eyebrow, staring amusedly at his detective who was shovelling the lemon-meringue cake into his mouth at a surprising speed and leaning forward, eyes intensely glued to what was happening in the drama.

When the female heroine finally started french kissing her ‘destined lover’, two empty tubs and a nicely cleaned plate were scattered all over the tea table, every last bit licked clean. Conan had snuggled himself against the warm chest of his thief, two cushions successfully hogged under his arms. Kaito had settled for burying his face behind the detective, secretly enjoying the faint smell of lemon of the shampoo that the not-child often used.

“Well. That was nice.”

The ending credits started rolling, dousing the dimly lit room under another shade of darkness.

“The kiss?”

“Kaito!”

“What, you want to do it? I’m more than up for a bit more action, Shin-chan!”

Arms tightened around the smaller boy, and Conan kicked the thief hard, not really minding _where_ he kicked, but nevertheless enjoying the pained whine coming from behind.

“Shin-chan! Did you have to do that?”

Conan resolutely ignored the thief, hiding away the small smirk that had appeared on his face.

“You’re laughing at my misery, I know you are!” the thief moaned, wailing as if he had just lost all his favour with his beloved Lady Luck, “Not a single look of pity for my poor, poor soul.”

“Oh, shut up,” the detective rolled his eyes, giving the thief a good smack on the head, “about today…”

“You ready to confess whatever naughty deed you did?”

“Kuroba Kaito.”

“I’m sorry, please continue.”

“It wasn’t much...it’s just that Ayumi suddenly hugged me--”

“SHE HUGGED YOU!?” the thief screeched, jealousy thinly veiled in his voice, “What else did she do? Did that brat try to ki--”

“Kaito. Shut. Up.”

Kaito quieted, pouting, “Yes, Shin-chan. I’m sorry, Shin-chan.”

Conan sighed, “Ayumi didn’t do anything else, if you’re that desperate to know, she just thought that I was in, ah, love, uh, with, um…”

“With who? Me?”

“Yes, you, but rather than _you_ you, it’s ‘Yukina’ that she thinks I’m in love with.”

“So? Has she finally realized that you’re off-limits?”

“Kaito,” the detective scolded, bumping his arm gently against the thief, “be nice.”

“Yes, Shin-chan.”

“I swear you never learn. Anyways, she said that she supports me no matter what.”

“...well, looks like the little miss is quite perceptive. She has earned my respect.”

Conan chuckled and got up to clear the tea table, only to let out a shout of surprise when he was pulled back into a solid embrace.

“What?” he grumbled as Kaito buried his face in his neck. He stiffened when the other suddenly raised his head, slightly chapped lips brushing against the sensitive outer shell of his ear.

“Hey, Shinichi...I really enjoyed tonight...thanks for coming over.”

The not-child sported a light dust of pink over his cheeks, choosing to remain silent but nevertheless shifted so that he was facing his precious boyfriend and firmly hugged him back, breathing in the fresh scent of coffee that still remained, probably from when Kaito had prepared the drink for him.

“Me, too. Let’s do it again sometime.”

“Mm.”

The neglected TV screen flashed back to the locked home page of the laptop, the numbers 8:00 flashing a bright white against the serene photo of a cave leading to the open skies and never ending waters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, comments, criticism, and anything else accepted :) Just drop one by and I'll try to reply as soon as possible ^_^
> 
> Next chapter: First Formal Date


	10. First Formal Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still remembered the first formal date _he_ had invited him on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem. Ahem. Uh...hello from a year later?
> 
> So...uh...I have no excuse? (Actually I do, but I'm quite aware of how much more messier excuses could make the already messy situation -- wait does that even make sense? Well.)
> 
> But...here's the new chapter! I hope you enjoy :)

He still remembered the first formal date _he_ had invited him on.

“So.”

Haibara Ai looked down on the kneeling figure in front of her, clearly unimpressed. She cocked her head arrogantly to the side, a sadistic smile spreading across her otherwise aloof face.

“Tell me, how long has it been since the last time?”

“W-what do you mean the last time, H-Haibara-onee-sama?”

“You’re not fooling anyone here, Kudo. Spit it out. I want time, place, reason. And what happened after. All the details. You don’t give it to me, you can kiss your little ‘request’ goodbye.”

“B-but, all the details? Really?”

Ai’s face darkened considerably, and she glared down from slitted eyes, making the other squirm on the floor.

“R-right. Details. Uh, it was about two months ago--”

“I said exact date!”

“A month and twenty-eight days!”

“See now, that wasn’t so hard was it?” the girl chuckled lowly, her dainty fingers swinging in the air as she waved for her victim to continue.

“I was at, uh, a party--”

“Which one!”

The not-child let out his nervous voice as loud as he could, “The party held by Shiratori Ninzaburo at his mansion to celebrate his engagement to Kobayashi Sumiko!”

“Good,” Ai yawned daintily, “next.”

“In order to survive in the forest where I was stuck in a really, really deep hole,” he made sure to emphasize that part, “I took one of your pills, got bigger, climbed out, and was able to prevent another murder from occurring.”

“So?”

“Yes…? Was that explanation not...good enough?”

“It wasn’t as detailed as I would’ve liked; considering that, you would probably suck at case reports if you ever do actually work for the police. Nevertheless, considering you are rather dimwitted and slow when compared to yours truly, I suppose it will have to do. Of course, I do expect payment from this, understood?”

“R-right…”

Ai sighed, motioning for the not-child to stay where he was, commenting lightly, “I shall send you a list later in the week of what I want. I assume that I do not need to tell you how stupid you are to do such a thing and how damaging it is to your body?”

Conan nodded silently.

“Good,” she turned her back, hiding the brief look of pain and regret flitting across her face, “I can only guarantee about 12 hours this time. It might last longer, but it will largely be dependent on how long you can last.”

She left the room for her laboratory, only to return a few minutes later to hand him a small pill, coloured red, blue and white.

“Thank you, Haibara.”

Her eyes slitted to the side in an unimpressed look and her face lifted in a condescending manner as she followed him to the door.

“I’ll have your thanks soon in the form of my precious babies, and as for you, better remember to bring a glove. Fresh milk will also supposedly help you grow taller, if you ever want to catch up to Kuroba-san with your current midget form.”

His head whipped back at her, a bored look that would’ve otherwise looked natural had his hands not been shaking in clenched fists.

“What?” she smirked, “Would you like me to tell you your dear Kuroba-san’s size?”

“N-no. I’m sure I’ll get any other information from himself.”

“That’s right,” Ai drawled, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

_Then I would remain a virgin forever._

The unspoken thought lingered in the air between them.

“Anyways,” she continued, “I want the details, so be sure to get a video camera or something; even a recorder would be great.”

“I’m not an exhibitionist.”

“But your boyfriend is.”

“...point taken. Nevertheless, I’m sure he’s sensible _enough_ to realize not to do that.”

“Oh-ho, confident now, are we?”

Conan turned back before Ai could get in another jab at him.

“I’ll see you then.”

“Details, Edogawa-kun! Details!”

He stormed off to his house. How could Haibara? Nevermind, she _could_ , only a sadistic purse-loving who is actually an adult trapped in a child’s body would enjoy teasing him like that. He let out a puff of air, pouting as he opened the door and slammed it behind him. The not-child could already feel a headache beginning when he thought of the number of figures that would be required to buy the sadist her precious _babies_.

He checked the time; it was just past five in the afternoon and he probably had just over an hour before Kaito would come pick him up. The boy stormed to the bathroom upstairs after grabbing a cup of water from the kitchen, eager to take the pill though he would have denied his enthusiasm vehemently had anyone questioned. No need to inflate a _certain_ someone’s ego any more than it was already after all.

Conan took off his clothes and popped the pill in his mouth without hesitation, taking a large gulp of water to make it go down easier.

His breath hitched.

There was that familiar burn. That raging burn that felt like he was being burned at the stake, a fire that could not be extinguished. He panted heavily, dropping to his knees as his hands that had previously clutched the granite of the countertop slid down the cabinet doors made of white oak. Painful gasps escaped his lips and he fell to his side, taking the barest of relief from the cold of the marble tiles. The boy felt his vision flicker out as his body became drenched in sweat and he clenched his teeth as he felt the pain climax.

Conan rolled over, his back arching against the marble, a cry of pure agony filling the room.

_It burns!_

_Dammit! Why can’t I do anything? It hurts so much!_

_...I hate the dark. So cold. Alone. I can’t move._

_I can’t move unless They move._

_Control._

_I don’t have control._

“Ha...ha...ha...it hurts like hell as always,” he muttered bitterly, weakly raising his hand to confirm his condition while his vision stabilized. He groaned, using his elbows to prop himself up and drag his now much heavier body to the shower. The change had left him not only gasping for air and he felt uncomfortable with the stickiness that had begun to settle on his skin. He closed the glass door behind him and turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature to lukewarm and stood in silence under the streaming water. His legs shook just under the pressure of him standing up and he leaned against the wall, taking slow breaths until he could feel himself again.

As quick as he could, he finished showering, having just gotten out of the shower when his cellphone rang. He tucked the towel around his waist and flipped open the phone, only glancing at the caller’s ID before hitting the green button.

“Yes?”

_“Aw, not even an ‘I missed you’, Shin-chan?”_

“I fail to see the reason in which I should do that.”

He could almost imagine the thief pouting on the other side of the phone.

“So? Where are you right now?”

_“Where am I? Where does the Meitantei think I am?”_

Shinichi paused, then replied nonchalantly, “I couldn’t care less. Just keep in mind that if I do find you anywhere within a fifty meter radius of the house, you can wave goodbye to the date considering you might need a cold pack for your bruise.”

_“Shin-chan! How could you be so cruel! And after I finally got us a reservation!”_

The detective gave a small grin, he had to admit that it was fun to banter with Kaito like this from time to time. Especially with the amount of stress they were both under from the activities of the Black Organization. Every second and minute was spent looking over their shoulders. In just the past month, he had had three too many run-ins with not only Gin but also Vermouth. The latter had been amused enough to drop a few hints regarding the Organization, information that levelled out the already unbalanced battle field.

_“So are you ready? I'm all ready.”_

“I'll call you when I'm ready. Later then.”

_“Wait, Shini--”_

Shinichi grinned as he hit the end button and placed the cellphone down to start drying his hair.

His phone buzzed not even five minutes later with two text messages. He cursed, fumbling for the small object while trying not to drop the towel and flipped the cellphone open again.

_[Don’t think I haven’t forgotten how you broke Yoshida-san’s heart. Be grateful she is so good-natured. Don’t ruin it with your pitiful deductions or run to a crime scene halfway through the date.]_

_[They have become more active lately. Make sure to always be aware of your surroundings; I don't want my lab rat dying just yet considering it still has quite a bit of life in it to rebel against Them.]_

The detective snorted with fondness in his eyes. Haibara would probably kill him before she ever expressed her worry for him directly. He sent back a quick text with one hand.

_[Of course. Both Kaito and I will remember that. Thanks for worrying, Haibara.]_

A flash of warmth spread within him as he let the towel slip to the ground; it was nice to know that he had friends who would support him.

O_^ DCMK

A sleek yellow sportscar slid in front of the Kudo mansion and a handsome young man in a formal suit jumped out of the driver's side to run to the other side and open the door for the detective who only stared on with mild interest.

Shinichi fixed his jacket and gave his beloved boyfriend a crooked grin before giving in to the urge to taunt him.

“So, do tell me how I am going to keep you from being slaughtered by a certain mad scientist when your car has gone against every rule of being inconspicuous?”

Kaito gave back a dazzling smirk, “Hm, perhaps I could invite you to the feast I have prepared right away? Or perhaps I could convince you to plead on my behalf so that at the very least, I will still retain my unbelievably handsome looks?”

“Narcissist,” Shinichi replied and shut the door after him, leaving Kaito to run to the other side and get back behind the wheel.

“And yet you fell in love with me, who could be your twin if only you'd let me mess with your hair a bit.”

The detective rolled his eyes, scoffing, “ Let's just say that we are both narcissists and leave it at that.”

“As you wish, Shin-chan,” Kaito chuckled and stepped on the gas, “ so would you like a compliment on how dashing you look tonight?”

The other looked at the thief with a raised eyebrow, “Knowing you, you'd start writing an epic and we'd never be able to reach the restaurant in time.”

“Yes, yes.”

With Kaito's last murmured words, the atmosphere in the car suddenly became quiet and dark.

“They've made Their move.”

“I know. The others have already started. This is our final confrontation with Them, or so I'd like to hope.”

“The final stage, huh. And we're the main characters of this play.”

“A play where there is only one winner in the end.”

Kaito glanced at Shinichi; he knew that the detective was getting stuck in his own thoughts more often lately, which was why he had wanted to invite him out on a proper date to get his mind off such depressing topics.

“Well, no matter what happens, as a gentleman thief, I should never make my lover cry under any circumstances.”

Shinichi scoffed, letting out a smirk, “How cheesy. You better live up to it.”

The thief tipped his head to the side with that ever familiar arrogant smirk, his violet orbs shining like gems under the moonlight.

“Of course, darling.”

O_^ DCMK

The detective looked up at the Beika Centre Building, his eyebrows furrowed and lips tightly drawn. The last time he had been here was when he had asked... _her_ out...and to think he had almost confessed then.

“Shinichi? What's wrong?”

Kaito gave him a questioning look, the keys twirling around his pinky but his attention was completely on the detective.

“No...nothing. I assume we are going to the observation restaurant then?”

“That's right! They say the night view from the revolving observation tower is one of the best, though I do have to say that the view from my hang-glider is much better, capiche?”

Shinichi chuckled, remembering the case where he had been thrown out of that airship and had instead gotten a free flight with the thief.

“I still have that goat photo, if you want,” the other offered with a tip of his head as he walked past Shinichi, his tone of voice almost a borderline taunt.

Shinichi rolled his eyes in mock exasperation as he gave a comeback, “And I still have those pictures of you with your best friends, a soccer ball and a fish.”

He barely suppressed a small giggle when the thief visibly jumped up in fright.

“Dammit, Shin-chan, do you have to be so mean on our date?” The thief pouted most impressive as he turned back to look at Shinichi while leaning against the revolving entrance that was currently still, “Can't there be one day where I am not threatened with those _things_?”

The detective took advantage of the thief's image of innocence, striding forward with confident steps to gently slam a hand on the glass behind Kaito. He leaned forward, considering they were of the same height, gazing into the endless pools of violet filled with surprise and lowered his voice so that only his lover could hear him.

“I thought you said I was a sadist?”

Kaito paused, mesmerized by the rare show of domination from the detective, but he quickly recovered and accepted the challenge, his lips brushing past Shinichi’s left cheek and settling near his ear.

“Eh? Kaito…?”

The thief blew hot air onto the sensitive lobe, causing his lover to flinch in surprise, then proceeded to nibble gently on it, caressing the elegant curve of his neck and quietly murmured in a low tone, “You’re not being fair, Shinichi. I hope you don’t do this to every person you take a fancy to.”

“Kaito…,” the detective was getting weak-kneed and a light blush dusted over his cheeks as he leaned against the other, “n-not...now.”

Kaito let out a low chuckle and burrowed his face into Shinichi’s warm scent and patted him reassuringly on the back, taking care not to wrinkle the detective’s suit.

“Alright, Shin-chan, let’s go for our dinner then. Can’t make them wait for us, right?”

“You...arse.”

He frowned, his lips turning downwards, “You’ve been around Hakuba for too long. I’ll have to fix that little problem.”

Shinichi rolled his eyes, catching his breath and praying to any god out there that he didn’t look as bad as he expected himself to look, and huffed, “Don’t. He’s a perfectly good Holmes fan and I will not have someone who appreciates the beauty of Sherlock Holmes to be eliminated any time soon.” He fixed his cuffs, gifts from the thief, of course, the blue sapphire gems twinkling, each precise cut reflecting a beam of light.

“Let’s go.”

“As you wish.”

O_^ DCMK

“Here is your _Pinot Noir_.” The waiter revealed the dark wine bottle then proceeded to get out two wine glasses and uncork the wine, a napkin held at the neck of the bottle to prevent heating the wine. The thin sliver of wine rushed in to fill about half of the glass, the red only a few shades lighter than the liquid Shinichi was so used to seeing. The wine glasses were handed to both with utmost care before the waiter brought out their starter, _arancini_ or rice croquettes. Shinichi swirled the wine, the elegant motion drawing violet orbs to him as he shifted his long fingers and leaned forward to experience the aroma of the wine, before he took his first sip. He rolled the liquid around with his tongue, savouring the fresh taste of what seemed like berries and the mild sweetness of the Pinot Noir grape. A pink tongue darted out to lick up the small amount of wine that remained on pale lips and Kaito gulped, barely containing his lust, even as the waiter finally left.

“Ah,” Shinichi sighed, placing down his wine, and leaned on his left palm as his eyes gazed off far away at the night scenery past the thick, clear glass, “as I thought, this place is just as nostalgic as it is painful.”

The city lit up below them like a map of stars from the sky, and the orange of the streetlights, and pale yellow and bright red of headlights drew lines on the map like shooting stars. Kaito had chosen a table right next to the windows and the rotating floor gave them a full view of the night life of Beika. Shinichi was tempted to reach out and attempt to trace the streaks of light, but held himself back, not wanting to dirty the glass with his fingerprints.

“Shinichi.”

He turned back to the thief, who had on such a serious face that he gave him a questioning look.

“Please don’t mention anyone else. I don’t want to hear my lover mentioning someone else on such a wonderful date.”

The detective scoffed, “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, oh gentleman thief. It is unsightly to allow such jealousy to show.”

“Hmph,” Kaito sniffed, taking another sip of wine, “it is rightly justified.”

“Oh? And when have you ever let such a little thing get in your way?”

“That’s right,” the thief grinned, spreading his arms with flourish, “I am one who steals even the most difficult of targets, and my last target shall be a certain detective’s heart.”

Shinichi rolled his eyes, choosing to start on his starter and just enjoy the texture of the rice croquette. He twirled his tongue around the fork, pulling it out to let the cheese trail in a thin string before pushing it back in and licking the remaining cheese off in a suggestive manner.

The thief visibly gulped.

“I thought this game was put on hold for now?”

Shinichi chewed slowly, maintaining a contemplative look on his face before flashing Kaito an innocent smile, choosing to not answer and continued with the rest of the starter. The thief groaned, this was not doing any good for him, no matter how tempting and hot Shinichi was when his lips tightened around the fork. He covered his eyes with his hands in a last ditch attempt to preserve his self dignity.

“You’re peeking, you know?” Shinichi teased him, a relaxed and amused smile showing when Kaito realised that, indeed, he was still peeking through a gap between his fingers.

“Well, you can’t exactly blame me, Shin-chan, what you just did was no fair,” he grumbled with a pout as he started on his own.

“All’s fair in this game, Kaito,” the detective smirked, taking another bite of the _arancini_ and swirled his tongue around the tip of the fork, “Now eat or Haibara is going to give me another lecture about how you don’t eat enough healthy foods.”

“I resent that. Chocolate and--”

“Eat.”

“Yes, darling.”

O_^ DCMK

Several courses later left both of them full and satisfied with only the desserts left, a coconut sorbet accompanied with mint leaves for Shinichi and a chocolate fondant for Kaito.

“Want a bit of mine?” The thief offered a spoonful of his chocolate fondant with expectant, almost hopeful eyes that Shinichi just couldn’t ignore and he decided to give in just this one time as he leaned forward. He opened up his mouth and stuck his tongue out a bit to gently touch the tip of the spoon and waited for Kaito to feed it to him. An eyebrow was raised when the other hesitated, the evident motion of his throat revealing his nervousness. The detective rolled his eyes and surged forward to close his lips over the spoon and licked it clean, before settling back into his own seat and promptly spooned off a bit of his own dessert and offered it to his lover with a smug smirk.

“Equivalent exchange?”

Kaito snapped out of his daze and immediately went forward to take the proffered bite, the iciness of the dessert forgotten as he positively melted over Shinichi’s satisfied smile as the detective returned to the coconut sorbet.

All those hours spent on researching and enduring the endless lectures from a certain ojou-chan...it was all worth it, for this moment in time when it was just him and Shinichi enjoying their date and stuck in their very own world. This moment of peace, he would forever treasure it. With the type of work they were involved in, Kaito was more than aware of what could happen at any second and minute; moments like these were few and scattered in their lives and he couldn’t help but innerly cringe at how dark his thoughts had suddenly become.

“Kaito?”

The thief started, an unusual reaction from one such as him, and Shinichi looked on with a hint of worry in his azure orbs before he continued, “You alright? I’m going to call for the waiter now.”

“No,” Kaito managed to pull together a shaky smile, slightly surprised at himself for letting go of his poker face so easily, “I’ll be paying today, Shin-chan. I was the one who asked you out after all.” Then without another word, he shoved the last bit of his dessert into his mouth and called for the waiter whilst picking up the pieces of his poker face. He was losing his touch...but then again, perhaps that showed just how much faith and trust he had in the one he loved, to reveal his most vulnerable faces to him...

O_^ DCMK

The chilly night air blew at the two as they cuddled with each other for warmth. Shinichi gathered the blanket Kaito had brought and wound it tighter around them.

Far across, the city lights twinkled as dazzling shades of the rainbow blinked like stars; the white lights of tall skyscrapers stood like lighthouses under the otherwise dark night sky. The real stars that were above were faded out, outshone by the artificial orbs that seemingly mocked at them from down below.

Shinichi let out an almost inaudible sigh as he discreetly settled his head on Kaito’s shoulder, snuggling so that he found a comfortable spot along the smooth curve of the thief’s neck.

“So? What else did Haibara tell you to do?”

“Eh? What do you mean, ojou-chan?”

The detective snorted gently, “Don’t think I didn’t notice it; Haibara was always in an exceptionally good mood on Thursdays for the past three weeks. I can only speculate the horror and trauma that has been inflicted upon you.”

Kaito chuckled, “No, surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. Ojou-chan seems to have quite the clear head on what you’re like.” He shivered though, something that Shinichi didn’t miss. “Although I will clarify that in the end, _I_ am the one who knows you best, Shin-chan. After all, I was the one who did all the preparation for the last show.”

The cute display of possessiveness had Shinichi sporting a light blush as he tucked his face into the side of Kaito’s neck and try to calm himself with the familiar smell of his lover, the soothing scent of chocolate stronger than the hints of mint after the chocolate fondant. There was a sudden shift from the thief as his left hand burrowed out and he glanced at the digital watch on his wrist.

“Five...four...three...two...one...zero!”

Suddenly, the serene atmosphere was interrupted by a rays of light that shone in the distance, making the other city lights pale in comparison. Various shade of blue, indigo, and purple waved around, lighting up the shadow of the white block letters that showed up in the distance.

_I LOVE YOU._

“And thus concludes our date,” the husky voice murmured into his ear, making him bury himself closer against his boyfriend to hide the prominent blush that was deepening by the second. However, one eye was kept open to peek at the wonderful gift he had been presented.

A soft, soothing tune played from the radio in the car, signalling the start of the nine o’clock program specialising in love songs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done!! I'm going to keep this short and sweet (since I'm sleepy, I wanna sleep, dammit) so as always, comments, reviews, critiques are welcome :) Feedback will be much appreciated!
> 
> Next Chapter: First Night Together
> 
> Until next time ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> The characters used in this work all belong to Gosho Aoyama, as well as the main story line (you know, the Black Organization, Pandora and stuff).


End file.
